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Social networking site
Definitions Social networking sites (also social network sites) are Overview The defining characteristics of an SNS are: Some of these sites restrict the number of profiles users can access and aim to connect people based on their "real world" communities. Many of these sites are free to users, instead relying on advertising revenues for financial support. Social networking sites may be the ultimate expression of user-generated content. Sites like Facebook are among the fastest growing communities in the digital world; they allow users to create personal profiles or webpages and link them to the profiles of others to create a network of "friends" and friends of friends.According to an October 2007 report from independent market analyst Datamonitor, membership in social networking sites will reach 230 million worldwide by the end of 2007. See Datamonitor, The Future of Social Networking: Understanding Market Strategic and Technological Developments (Oct. 2007) (full-text). Consumers of all ages are using social networking sites, although research suggests that there are two main clusters of users — one younger and one older — and that these groups have different objectives. Younger users are more likely to use the sites as an extension of their existing offline relationships, and older users, "deeply invested in strangers," are using the sites to make friends, network professionally, and find dates. Teenagers are reputedly among the most enthusiastic users: nine of the ten most popular sites among 12-to-17 year-olds were social networking sites or sites that provided related tools or content.Press Release, Nielsen/NetRatings, U.S. Teens Graduate from Choosing IM Buddy Icons To Creating Elaborate Social Networking Profiles, According to Nielsen/NetRatings (Oct. 11, 2006) (full-text). Privacy Concerns United States There are privacy concerns associated with social networking sites and other user-generated content, particularly when minors' information is at stake. When using social networking sites, minors may share a wide variety of information with others, including their names, addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses. The extent to which this information is accessible to others depends on the limits the site places on the community that can view a user profile, and on restrictions incorporated into the site, some of which are self-activated.One study reported that 55% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 have created a profile on a social networking site, including 70% of girls ages 15 to 17 and 54% of boys ages 15 to 17. Amanda Lenhart & Mary Madden, Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview, Pew Internet & American Life Project (Jan. 7, 2007) (full-text). Among teens who created such a profile, 85% of them created a profile on MySpace, making it far-and-away the most popular social networking site for teens.Id. Some social networking sites allow unrestricted access to user information, which may allow criminals to locate users, including minors, offline or to commit identity theft.Federal Trade Commission, FTC Facts for Consumers, Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens (2006) (full-text). If a social networking site is directed at children under 13, or if the site operator has actual knowledge that it is collecting information from children under 13 on the site, the website operator must comply with COPPA and the FTC's COPPA Rule. Most significantly, the website operator is required to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children.See Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, 15 U.S.C. §§6501-08; Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, 16 C.F.R. §312. See also United States v. UMG Recordings, Inc., Civil Action No. CV 04-1050 (C.D. Cal. filed Feb. 18, 2004); United States v. Bonzi Software, Inc., Civil Action No. CV-04-1048 (C.D. Cal. filed Feb. 18, 2004); United States v. The Ohio Art Company, Civil Action No. 4:CV03-350 (M.D. Penn. filed Feb. 27, 2003); United States v. Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, Inc., Civil Action No. 2:03 CV205 JTG (D. Utah filed Feb. 27, 2003). European Union References See also * Social network * Social network service * Social networking * Social networking services * Social Networking Guidance Category:Internet Category:Content Category:Social media Category:Definition